2004 TOYOTA COROLLA — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 470 complaints · 13 recalls
Most-reported system: AIR BAGS (216 complaints · 46.0%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 69
  • Fires 3
  • Injuries 56
  • Deaths 4
Compare with 2003 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution AIR BAGS appears in 216 of 470 owner complaints (46.0%) in this vehicle snapshot. AIR BAGS: 216 complaints, 46.0% of reports AIR BAGS 216 · 46.0% · 35 crash reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 52 complaints, 11.1% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 52 · 11.1% · 23 crash reports ENGINE: 45 complaints, 9.6% of reports ENGINE 45 · 9.6% · 1 crash reports 1 fire reports VISIBILITY: 25 complaints, 5.3% of reports VISIBILITY 25 · 5.3% FUEL SYSTEM: 21 complaints, 4.5% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 21 · 4.5% · 2 crash reports POWER TRAIN: 15 complaints, 3.2% of reports POWER TRAIN 15 · 3.2% · 1 crash reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 13 complaints, 2.8% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 13 · 2.8% · 1 fire reports STEERING: 11 complaints, 2.3% of reports STEERING 11 · 2.3% · 2 crash reports SEAT BELTS: 10 complaints, 2.1% of reports SEAT BELTS 10 · 2.1% · 1 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 138 complaints, 29.4% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 138 · 29.4% · 17 crash reports 2 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
AIR BAGS 216 46.0% 35 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 52 11.1% 23 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 45 9.6% 1 crashes · 1 fires
VISIBILITY 25 5.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 21 4.5% 2 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 15 3.2% 1 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 13 2.8% 0 crashes · 1 fires
STEERING 11 2.3% 2 crashes · 0 fires
SEAT BELTS 10 2.1% 1 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 138 29.4% 17 crashes · 2 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jul 2003; the first recall shown was reported in Oct 2003. 2003-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2003-Q4: 13 owner reports 13 2004-Q1: 17 owner reports 17 2004-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2004-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2004-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2005-Q1: 9 owner reports 9 2005-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2005-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2005-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2006-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2006-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2007-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2007-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2007-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2008-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2008-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2009-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2009-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2010-Q1: 34 owner reports 34 2010-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2010-Q3: 12 owner reports 12 2010-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2011-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2011-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2011-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2012-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2013-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2013-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2013-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2014-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2014-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2014-Q4: 13 owner reports 13 2015-Q1: 53 owner reports 53 2015-Q2: 38 owner reports 38 2015-Q3: 41 owner reports 41 2015-Q4: 20 owner reports 20 2016-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2016-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2016-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2016-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2017-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2017-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2017-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2018-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2018-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2018-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2019-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2019-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2021-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2022-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jul 2003 Apr 2026 Recall campaign 03V366000 ◆ Recall campaign 03V366000 Recall campaign 06E023000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E023000 Recall campaign 06E064000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E064000 Recall campaign 08V162000 ◆ Recall campaign 08V162000 Recall campaign 09E012000 ◆ Recall campaign 09E012000 Recall campaign 09E025000 ◆ Recall campaign 09E025000 Recall campaign 13V029000 ◆ Recall campaign 13V029000 Recall campaign 15V043000 ◆ Recall campaign 15V043000 Recall campaign 15V285000 ◆ Recall campaign 15V285000 Recall campaign 15V286000 ◆ Recall campaign 15V286000 Recall campaign 18V883000 ◆ Recall campaign 18V883000 Recall campaign 19V627000 ◆ Recall campaign 19V627000 Recall campaign 19V741000 ◆ Recall campaign 19V741000 Investigation EA08004 ● Investigation EA08004 Investigation PE14016 ● Investigation PE14016 Investigation EA15001 ● Investigation EA15001 Investigation EA21002 ● Investigation EA21002
  • Campaign 06E023000 was reported 361 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 08V162000 was reported 1,252 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 09E025000 was reported 1,516 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 15V043000 was reported 4,089 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 18V883000 was reported 5,503 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 19V627000 was reported 5,762 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 19V741000 was reported 5,812 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2003-Q3 Owner reports 4
2003-Q4 Owner reports 13
2004-Q1 Owner reports 17
2004-Q2 Owner reports 8
2004-Q3 Owner reports 5
2004-Q4 Owner reports 8
2005-Q1 Owner reports 9
2005-Q2 Owner reports 8
2005-Q3 Owner reports 5
2005-Q4 Owner reports 2
2006-Q1 Owner reports 6
2006-Q2 Owner reports 1
2006-Q3 Owner reports 5
2006-Q4 Owner reports 6
2007-Q1 Owner reports 1
2007-Q2 Owner reports 4
2007-Q3 Owner reports 2
2007-Q4 Owner reports 2
2008-Q1 Owner reports 4
2008-Q2 Owner reports 8
2008-Q3 Owner reports 2
2008-Q4 Owner reports 2
2009-Q1 Owner reports 3
2009-Q2 Owner reports 2
2009-Q3 Owner reports 5
2009-Q4 Owner reports 3
2010-Q1 Owner reports 34
2010-Q2 Owner reports 7
2010-Q3 Owner reports 12
2010-Q4 Owner reports 5
2011-Q1 Owner reports 4
2011-Q2 Owner reports 3
2011-Q3 Owner reports 2
2011-Q4 Owner reports 1
2012-Q2 Owner reports 3
2012-Q3 Owner reports 2
2012-Q4 Owner reports 3
2013-Q1 Owner reports 3
2013-Q2 Owner reports 5
2013-Q3 Owner reports 2
2013-Q4 Owner reports 2
2014-Q1 Owner reports 3
2014-Q2 Owner reports 6
2014-Q3 Owner reports 3
2014-Q4 Owner reports 13
2015-Q1 Owner reports 53
2015-Q2 Owner reports 38
2015-Q3 Owner reports 41
2015-Q4 Owner reports 20
2016-Q1 Owner reports 8
2016-Q2 Owner reports 8
2016-Q3 Owner reports 6
2016-Q4 Owner reports 3
2017-Q2 Owner reports 3
2017-Q3 Owner reports 7
2017-Q4 Owner reports 3
2018-Q1 Owner reports 5
2018-Q2 Owner reports 3
2018-Q3 Owner reports 1
2018-Q4 Owner reports 2
2019-Q1 Owner reports 4
2019-Q4 Owner reports 1
2020-Q1 Owner reports 1
2020-Q2 Owner reports 1
2020-Q4 Owner reports 1
2021-Q1 Owner reports 1
2021-Q2 Owner reports 3
2021-Q4 Owner reports 1
2022-Q1 Owner reports 1
2022-Q2 Owner reports 2
2022-Q3 Owner reports 1
2023-Q4 Owner reports 1
2025-Q2 Owner reports 1
2026-Q1 Owner reports 1
2026-Q2 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 03V366000
Recall campaign 1 06E023000
Recall campaign 1 06E064000
Recall campaign 1 08V162000
Recall campaign 1 09E012000
Recall campaign 1 09E025000
Recall campaign 1 13V029000
Recall campaign 1 15V043000
Recall campaign 1 15V285000
Recall campaign 1 15V286000
Recall campaign 1 18V883000
Recall campaign 1 19V627000
Recall campaign 1 19V741000
Defect investigation 1 EA08004
Defect investigation 1 PE14016
Defect investigation 1 EA15001
Defect investigation 1 EA21002
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (13)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 03V366000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    IN THE WORST CASE, THE STUD BOLT(S) MAY FRACTURE, WHICH MAY RESULT IN THE SEPARATION OF THE WHEEL FROM THE HUB ASSEMBLY AND LEAD TO A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSPECT ALL FOUR FACTORY ALUMINUM ALLOY WHEELS AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE ANY FOUND TO BE OUT OF SPECIFICATIONS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN OCTOBER 27, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 06E023000

    Report date
    Component:
    EXTERIOR LIGHTING
    Consequence:
    WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    ANZO WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE HEADLAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN MAY 9, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT ANZO USA AT 909-468-3688.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 06E064000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    LACK OF AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS IN THE LAMPS WILL DECREASE LIGHTING VISIBILITY TO OTHER DRIVERS AND MAY POSSIBLY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    TRADESONIC WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JULY 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TRADESONIC AT 626-934-8884.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 08V162000

    Report date
    Component:
    VISIBILITY
    Consequence:
    THE DOOR GLASS MAY SEPARATE FROM THE WINDOW REGULATOR, BIND AND SHATTER DURING OPERATION OF THE POWER WINDOWS, CAUSING DRIVER DISTRACTION AND/OR INJURY.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE DRIVER AND FRONT PASSENGER DOOR GLASS BOLTS WITH NEWLY DESIGNED BOLTS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 16, 2008 TO TOYOTA OWNERS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 21, 2008, FOR PONTIAC OWNERS. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-888-270-9371 OR PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 09E012000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  6. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 09E025000

    Report date
    Component:
    EXTERIOR LIGHTING
    Consequence:
    DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  7. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 13V029000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    Inadvertent deployment of the airbags or the seat belt pretensioners may increase the risk of injury and the possibility of a vehicle crash.
    Remedy:
    Toyota will re-notify their owners who have already had their vehicles repaired with a noise filter, but did not receive a new airbag control module, and General Motors will re-notify theirs. Dealers previously installed a supplemental harness containing an electrical filter between the airbag control module and its wire harness, free of charge. Dealers will replace the airbag control module, free of charge. The recall began on March 13, 2013. The manufacturer has not yet provided a schedule for second notices. For more information, Toyota owners may call 1-800-331-4331 and Pontiac owners may call 1-800-620-7668.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  8. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 15V043000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    Inadvertent deployment of the air bags or the seat belt pretensioners increases the risk of an injury or crash.
    Remedy:
    Toyota will notify their owners. Pontiac Vibe owners will be notified by GM. Dealers will replace the air bag control module, free of charge. The recall began on August 24, 2015. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. GM issued an interim notification to owners on March 27, 2015. The recall began on August 24, 2015. Pontiac owners may call 1-800-620-7668. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 13V-029 and 14V-147. Vehicles that had a noise filter installed as the remedy for one of those campaigns need to have the air bag control module replaced under this campaign.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  9. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 15V285000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
    Remedy:
    2003-2004 Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles that are recalled under both 15V-043 and 15V-285 are under a Do Not Drive advisory. Owners of these vehicles are advised not to drive their vehicles until the recall remedy has been completed. Toyota will notify their owners. Pontiac Vibe owners will be notified by GM. Dealers will replace the front passenger air bag. The recall began on July 13, 2015. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Pontiac owners may call 1-800-762-2737. NOTE: This recall supersedes recall 14V-312 in its entirety.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  10. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 15V286000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
    Remedy:
    2003-2004 Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles that are recalled under both 15V-043 and 15V-286 are under a Do Not Drive advisory. Owners of these vehicles are advised not to drive their vehicles until the recall remedy has been completed. Toyota will notify their owners. Pontiac Vibe owners will be notified by GM. Dealers will replace the passenger side front air bag, free of charge. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota began the recall on July 13, 2015. Pontiac Vibe owners may contact GM at 1-800-762-2737. GM began the recall on June 29, 2015. NOTE: This recacll supersedes recall 14V-655 in its entirety. For vehicles located in the U.S. states not listed above, please see Toyota recall 15V-285 which covers all other U.S. states.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  11. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 18V883000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
    Remedy:
    Toyota will notify the Toyota and Lexus owners. General Motors will notify the Pontiac Vibe owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, or replace the air bag assembly that includes an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began January 23, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371, Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987 or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. Toyota's numbers for these recalls are J0A (Zone A Toyota), J0B (Zone B Toyota), J0C (Zone C Toyota), JLI (Zone A Lexus), JLJ (Zone B Lexus), and JLK (Zone C Lexus). Note: This recall includes vehicles that have had their air bag previously replaced under an earlier air bag campaign.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  12. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 19V627000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.
    Remedy:
    Toyota will notify their owners. Pontiac Vibe owners will be notified by GM. Dealers will replace the front passenger air bag assembly or sub-assembly, free of charge. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's numbers for this recall are K1Q and K0Q. Pontiac owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-762-2737. GM's number for this recall is N192273760.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  13. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 19V741000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
    Remedy:
    Toyota will notify owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front driver inflator, front passenger airbag inflator, the airbag assembly, or the front passenger airbag sub-assembly and inflator. The recall began November 20, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are J0A, J0B, and J0C. Lexus' numbers for this recall are JLI, JLJ, and JLK.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 470 complaints · page 1 of 19

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources